STEAMPUNK & JAPANESE GOTHIC LOLITA: RETRO-FUTURISTIC FASHION WITH BRASS GOGGLES, CLOCKWORK.
My friend Liz writes for LA Weekly and has one of the coolest beats in reporting. She files stories about Lolita fashion, J-pop club nights, ball-jointed dolls, anime conventions, and everything else worth talking about in the world of Japanese Goth. (Gothic belly dancing, anyone?)
Liz recently did a “Steampunk Starter” piece where she highlights her favorite steampunk TV and film series. I wrote about Steamboy and hear that Fullmetal Alchemist has a great premise. Can’t wait to check out the rest.
Steampunk shares a number of aesthetic similarities to Gothic Lolita, and I’ve seen some compelling “hybrid” outfits. How can you go wrong with brass goggles, gears and clockwork, mad scientist hair, top hats and striped stockings?
However, I haven’t seen the retro-futuristic fashion on the streets of Tokyo; there don’t appear to be steampunk clothing brands or communities, unlike in the West. I think as Lolita evolves, she is more likely to draw upon Wa (traditional Japanese) and fairy kei influences, rather than steampunk. And of course, kawaii is here to stay; quite a few major newspapers have reported on the recent appointment of three “cute ambassadors.”
What do you think of Steampunk merged with Lolita? In what direction do you predict Loli fashion will head? To keep posted on Liz’s latest stories, check out her Twitter.
Song of the Day #67: Abney Park – Airship Pirate
This entry was posted on Saturday, March 14th, 2009 at 11:43 and is filed under Fashion, Fims + Videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
March 14th, 2009 at 13:17
Manako says:I am actually the costume designer for a student film currently being made, “Roberto and the Robot”. It takes place in a steampunk world. Complete with an olde-timey robot! *_*
March 14th, 2009 at 13:42
lacarmina says:What a great project! I'd love to see photos of your costumes. :)
March 14th, 2009 at 13:53
Laura says:Steampunk looks quite cool but I don't think it will merge with gothloli.
I like the goggles xP
March 14th, 2009 at 15:37
liz O. says:Aw, thanks. :-)
I've seen a few girls merge steampunk and Lolita in LA and it looks fantastic. It makes sense out here because there are some pretty close ties between both styles and the goth/industrial scene.
I was a bit surprised to learn that steampunk hasn't infiltrated Japanese street fashion as I've seen it influence quite a few manga and anime (Steamboy and FMA being the tip of the iceberg). What I like about steampunk is that, probably because it's based on speculative fiction, it's fairly open to interpretation. You can take Victorian/Industrial Revolution elements and twist them into a lot of new and outrageous styles.
BTW, I can't begin to recommend Fullmetal Alchemist enough. It's actually the show that took me from a casual anime viewer to a slightly-obsessive one.
March 14th, 2009 at 15:43
lacarmina says:I've seen steampunk glasses on men – I posted some here – http://www.lacarmina.com/blog/2009/01/japanese-...
but the only Steampunk Lolitas I've seen were Western girls.
I also like how steampunk is quite flexible and open.
March 14th, 2009 at 16:40
Dragonswyng says:I would love to know more about the makeup the girl on the right is wearing. those would be great colors on me ^-^
March 14th, 2009 at 16:40
Naka says:i've actualy seena group of emo kids and one of them was dressed heavily in steam punk.
I thought it was cool just reall really wierd to see it in UK o.0
March 14th, 2009 at 16:41
lacarmina says:I think steampunk is quite popular in the UK especially ^^
March 14th, 2009 at 17:06
liz O. says:Those flip glasses are amazing.
March 14th, 2009 at 20:28
O-shin says:Funny thing about steampunk is that while it appears to have started in the UK, Americans in particular *really* took to it (they've gone and done nutty things like make gorgeous steampunk mods of existing laptops and desktop computers, and turn computer keyboards into gilded typewriter interfaces that still work with your Mac, hoho). I have a feeling it involves that 'frontier' attitude that Americans are really partial to – exploration, invention, alternate technology, etc.
TBH I don't think steampunk will pick up much in Japan except for the occasional fashion blip – they have a LOT more history to fall back on, and the delicate aesthetics seem to suit their tastes more. Steampunk aesthetic can get heavy and rather masculine, even if you're running around in a hoop skirt and bustle (think corrosion, aged brass, complicated gadgetry) – lolita fashion is more concerned with being, er, girly and is rather limp-wristed at times. Steampunk girls are much bolder and saucy, judging from the ones I've had the pleasure of meeting.
Steampunk Loli is awesome to see when a clever girl does it well, but I think it's really only compatible in terms of fashion – attitude-wise there's quite a lot of gap.
March 14th, 2009 at 20:33
lacarmina says:Nice summary, esp about the American pioneer spirit. I think that's true that the bawdier attitude of Steampunk doesn't jive as well with the Japanese girls. Interesting how two styles can run parallel to each other but not really merge.
March 15th, 2009 at 02:06
Womens Hunting clothing says:Wow. These ensembles are making me drool! What's the headdress that the girl in the right is wearing? Looks dead-on! Wow!
March 15th, 2009 at 10:12
karmaneko says:I love the girl on the left's skirt, and the girl on the right's hair and goggles (not to mention her makeup).
Fullmetal Alchemist is GODLY. Always one of my favorite animes. Kinda dark, but it's got it's funny moments. Hah.
March 15th, 2009 at 11:28
Samina Spookiness says:Steampunk is more a Western-centered culture, at least from what I've seen. Most of the steampunks I know are from the UK or America. Even though some add Asian influences to their take on the aesthetic, it's mostly a Western culture.
I've seen a few steam-lolis out and about, and it was more a homage to a Victorian girl than Lolita – there was a basic style but less lace and flounces, less bows. Steampunk's meant to be practical while visiting and flirting with the fantastic.
March 15th, 2009 at 11:43
lacarmina says:I saw some Asian Steampunk too – how interesting that it's so different from Lolita fashion that is so popular in Japan!
March 15th, 2009 at 19:49
O-shin says:Looks like short wool-based false dreads (the volume of synthetic dreadfalls but with a third the weight!) and some thicker rexlace-type plastic falls mixed in. It's a cool industrial/cyber touch on top of 'traditional' (I guess? X3) steampunk.
March 15th, 2009 at 22:56
LynxMinx says:Thats a real dream to me…when Steampunk and Loli meet only awesomeness can be born.
March 16th, 2009 at 21:05
Samina Spookiness says:A lot of the Asian influenced steampunk I've seen has been very Chinese-inspired, not so Japanese inspired. Cheongsams, changshans, and Mao suits are more appropriate for the genre than kimonos or robes.
I think it goes back to the Victorian aesthetic that influences the genre – back then, they had a huge thing for all things Turkish and from the Orient, and it shows in a few select styles and garments. There's nothing that says that the clothing can't be sumptuous but it needs to be wearable and durable, and a bit more practical than kimonos and robes. A few aristocrats or elitists would argue that it's not true, but that's what I've seen so far
March 18th, 2009 at 02:20
Chanel Sunglasses says:That pair of goggles look wicked! Compliments her fashion in a rather unusual way yet stylish, helping her achieve that neo-gothic look.
April 1st, 2009 at 19:16
cath :: allchic says:Steampunk and Gothic Lolita do have a lot in common. A while back, I posted something along these lines here:
http://www.allchic.com/index.php/2008/03/24/fro...
April 2nd, 2009 at 02:16
cath :: allchic says:Steampunk and Gothic Lolita do have a lot in common. A while back, I posted something along these lines here:
http://www.allchic.com/index.php/2008/03/24/fro...